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MacBook Air Q&A
Published July 24, 2011
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What are all the differences between the "Mid-2011" MacBook Air models and the "Late 2010" MacBook Air models that they replaced?
Please note that all notebooks mentioned in this Q&A have been discontinued. However, this Q&A is up-to-date and is quite useful for anyone buying or selling one of these models on the used market.
Externally, the standard "Mid-2011" MacBook Air models -- the MacBook Air "Core i5" 1.6 11-Inch (Mid-2011) and "Core i5" 1.7 13-Inch (Mid-2011) -- and the "Late 2010" MacBook Air models -- the MacBook Air "Core 2 Duo" 1.4 11-Inch (Late 2010) and "Core 2 Duo" 1.86 13-Inch (Late 2010) -- look just about identical.
Photo Credit: Apple, Inc.
However, there are major internal and connectivity differences that merit detailed evaluation. For purposes of identification, EveryMac.com also can help one externally differentiate these models, too.
External Differences
All of these MacBook Air models use razor thin all aluminum cases that are essentially identical apart from display size and corresponding housing. All are 0.11 of an inch at the front and taper to 0.68 of an inch at the rear, but the 11-Inch models are 11.8 inches by 7.56 inches when closed whereas the 13-Inch models are 12.8 inches by 8.94 inches when closed to accommodate the larger display.
Although the difference is not perceptible, the "Mid-2011" models weigh slightly more than the "Late 2010" models -- 2.38 pounds compared to 2.3 pounds for the 11-Inch and 2.96 pounds compared to 2.9 pounds for the 13-Inch. All have the same displays that are high-resolution for their physical dimensions -- an 11.6" 1366x768 display for the 11-Inch models and a 13.3" 1440x900 display for the 13-Inch models.
One welcome external difference is that the "Mid-2011" models have a backlit keyboard whereas the earlier "Late 2010" models do not. Each have the same glass "no button" trackpads with "inertial scrolling" support. All likewise have integrated stereo speakers and an integrated "FaceTime" webcam (not a high-definition FaceTime HD webcam, though).
Connectivity Differences
Although it would be easy to overlook with casual observation, connectivity is a major point of differentiation.
All of these models have 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi (although for the "Mid-2011" models Apple quietly stopped branding the wireless internet capabilities as "AirPort Extreme," but the technology is the same), dual USB 2.0 ports, analog audio out, and a side mounted internal microphone. The 13-Inch models in both lines also have an integrated SDXC-capable SD Card slot, whereas the 11-Inch models do not in either line. None of these models have Firewire, optical audio in/out, or Ethernet, although an external 10/100Base-T Ethernet adapter is available as a US$29 option. None support a remote via IR, either.
The "Mid-2011" models, however, have a new "Thunderbolt" port that is backwards compatible with the older Mini DisplayPort on the "Late 2010" models and likewise supports an external display at 2560x1600. Both pass an audio signal as well. Thunderbolt also supports other peripherals that use the Thunderbolt standard, so this is a significant addition as it makes it possible to connect high speed peripherals -- such as external hard drives or SSDs -- to the MacBook Air for the first time.
The "Mid-2011" MacBook Air models also support Bluetooth 4.0 -- interestingly skipping Bluetooth 3.0+HS entirely -- compared to the "Late 2010" models that support the older Bluetooth 2.1+EDR standard.
Identification Differences
In the short-term, the "Mid-2011" MacBook Air line can be differentiated from earlier models by the backlit keyboard and "lighting bolt" icon above the Thunderbolt port, but this is not useful for long-term identification as future models no doubt will have backlit keyboards and Thunderbolt ports as well.
In addition, the "Mid-2011" MacBook Air line shares Model Numbers with the "Late 2010" MacBook Air models, and consequently, these cannot be used for external differentiation either. EMC Numbers, however, are unique -- with 2471 for the 11-Inch and 2469 for the 13-Inch "Mid-2011" models and 2393 and 2392 for the 11-Inch and 13-Inch "Late 2010" models, respectively. Although they are not exciting, EveryMac.com has painstakingly documented these useful details for your convenience.
These models also can be pinpointed by Model Identifier in software. The "Mid-2011" models use MacBookAir4,1 and MacBookAir4,2 for the 11-Inch and 13-Inch models, respectively, and the "Late 2010" models use MacBookAir3,1 and MacBookAir3,2.
EveryMac.com's Ultimate Mac Lookup feature also can identify these MacBook Air models by their Serial Numbers.
Internal Differences
Internally, there are some similarities between these lines, but major differences as well, particularly regarding architecture. All have onboard RAM that cannot be upgraded after purchase, Mini-SATA connected flash memory for storage that is not intended to be upgraded, and non-removable battery designs (with an estimate of 5 hours of runtime for the 11-Inch models and 7 hours of runtime for the 13-Inch models).
However, the "Late 2010" MacBook Air models are powered by Core 2 Duo processors whereas the the "Mid-2011" models are powered by dramatically faster "Sandy Bridge" Core i5 processors and a more advanced architecture that use a 5 GT/s "Direct Media Interface" in lieu of the "traditional" system bus as well as faster 1333 MHz DDR3 memory. Graphics for both lines share memory with the system -- which reduces performance compared to a system with dedicated memory -- but the "Mid-2011" models use Intel HD Graphics 3000 compared to NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics in the replaced models.
Comparison Charts
The differences between the "Mid-2011" and "Late 2010" MacBook Air models -- processors, architecture, memory, graphics, connectivity, and configuration -- are summarized below.
The 11-Inch model gains massive improvements in processors and architecture as well as significant improvements in graphics and connectivity:
 Late 2010 11" |
 Mid-2011 11" |
|
|---|---|---|
| Processor Speed: | 1.4 GHz* | 1.6 GHz** |
| Processor Type: | Core 2 Duo (SU9400)* | Core i5 (I5-2467M)** |
| L2/L3 Cache: | 3 MB | 256k x2, 3 MB |
| System Bus/DMI: | 800 MHz | 5 GT/s |
| Standard RAM: | 2 GB | 2 GB, 4 GB |
| Maximum RAM: | 4 GB† | 4 GB† |
| Onboard RAM Type: | 1066 MHz DDR3 | 1333 MHz DDR3 |
| Internal Storage: | 64 GB, 128 GB | 64 GB, 128 GB |
| Storage Type: | SSD (Mini SATA) | SSD (Mini SATA) |
| Video Processor: | GeForce 320M | HD Graphics 3000 |
| Shared VRAM: | 256 MB | 256 MB, 384 MB |
| Thunderbolt: | No | Yes |
| SD Card Slot: | No | No |
| Bluetooth: | 2.1+EDR | 4.0 |
| Display Size: | 11.6" Widescreen | 11.6" Widescreen |
| Display Resolution: | 1366x768 | 1366x768 |
| Backlit Keyboard: | No | Yes |
| Battery Life: | 5 Hours | 5 Hours |
| Dimensions: | .11-.68 x 11.8 x 7.56 | .11-.68 x 11.8 x 7.56 |
| Weight: | 2.3 Pounds | 2.38 Pounds |
| Order Numbers: | MC505LL/A, MC506LL/A | MC968LL/A, MC969LL/A |
| EMC Number: | 2393 | 2471 |
| Model Identifier: | MacBookAir3,1 | MacBookAir4,1 |
| Intro Price: | US$999, US$1199 | US$999, US$1199 |
* The MC506LL/A configuration of the 11-Inch "Late 2010" model, which has 128 GB of storage, could be upgraded to a 1.6 GHz Core 2 Duo (SU9600) processor as a US$100 option at the time of purchase. EveryMac.com also has documented this BTO/CTO configuration as its own model.
** A 1.8 GHz Core i7 (I7-2677M) processor also is available via custom order for the 11-Inch MC969LL/A configuration (which has 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB of flash storage by default) as a US$150 upgrade. EveryMac.com also has documented this BTO/CTO configuration as its own model.
† Note that RAM is soldered in place in all models and cannot be upgraded after purchase.
The 13-Inch model -- although the differences may not be quite as dramatic as the 11-Inch -- still gains huge improvements in processors and architecture as well as significant improvements in graphics and connectivity:
 Late 2010 13" |
 Mid-2011 13" |
|
|---|---|---|
| Processor Speed: | 1.86 GHz* | 1.7 GHz** |
| Processor Type: | Core 2 Duo (SL9400)* | Core i5 (I5-2557M)** |
| L2/L3 Cache: | 6 MB | 256k x2, 3 MB |
| System Bus/DMI: | 1066 MHz | 5 GT/s |
| Standard RAM: | 2 GB | 4 GB |
| Maximum RAM: | 4 GB† | 4 GB† |
| Onboard RAM Type: | 1066 MHz DDR3 | 1333 MHz DDR3 |
| Internal Storage: | 128 GB, 256 GB | 128 GB, 256 GB |
| Storage Type: | SSD (Mini SATA) | SSD (Mini SATA) |
| Video Processor: | GeForce 320M | HD Graphics 3000 |
| Shared VRAM: | 256 MB | 384 MB |
| Thunderbolt: | No | Yes |
| SD Card Slot: | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth: | 2.1+EDR | 4.0 |
| Display Size: | 13.3" Widescreen | 13.3" Widescreen |
| Display Resolution: | 1440x900 | 1440x900 |
| Backlit Keyboard: | No | Yes |
| Battery Life: | 7 Hours | 7 Hours |
| Dimensions: | .11-.68 x 12.8 x 8.94 | .11-.68 x 12.8 x 8.94 |
| Weight: | 2.9 Pounds | 2.96 Pounds |
| Order Numbers: | MC503LL/A, MC504LL/A | MC965LL/A, MC966LL/A |
| EMC Number: | 2392 | 2469 |
| Model Identifier: | MacBookAir3,2 | MacBookAir4,2 |
| Intro Price: | US$1299, US$1599 | US$1299, US$1599 |
* The MC504LL/A configuration of the 13-Inch "Late 2010" model, which has 256 GB of storage, also could be upgraded to a 2.13 GHz Core 2 Duo (SL9600) processor as a US$100 option at the time of purchase. EveryMac.com also has documented this BTO/CTO configuration as its own model.
** A 1.8 GHz Core i7 (I7-2677M) processor also is available via custom order for the 13-Inch MC966LL/A configuration (which has 256 GB of flash storage by default) as a US$100 upgrade. EveryMac.com also has documented this BTO/CTO configuration as its own model.
† Note that RAM is soldered in place in all models and cannot be upgraded after purchase.
Comparison Summary
Ultimately, most users likely would be quite happy with the substantially enhanced performance, Thunderbolt port and backlit keyboard provided by the "Mid-2011" models. However, the "Late 2010" models remain well worth consideration, particularly given even lower prices on the used market.
MacBook Air Purchase & Sale Options
There are any number of places to purchase a new or used MacBook Air. However, purchasing from a quality seller with extensive experience in the Mac market -- and after sales support -- will provide the best experience and save you money and time, too.
In the US, site sponsor Adorama sells new MacBook Air models with free shipping. Other World Computing sells used and refurb MacBook Air models at bargain prices with free shipping, as well. On the other hand, if you need to sell a MacBook Air, A+ BBB-rated Cash for Your Mac and GoRoostr will buy your older notebook with an instant quote and prompt payment.
In the UK, site sponsor Hoxton Macs sells used MacBook Air models with a one-year warranty and free next day delivery throughout the UK. Delivery across Europe also is available starting at just £9.99 for two-day delivery to France and Germany.
In Australia, site sponsor Mac City likewise has a variety of used MacBook Air models sold at low prices and available with a free warranty and fast shipping across Australia.
Please refer to EveryMac.com's Ultimate Mac Comparison feature to dynamically compare any MacBook Air model to any other G3 or later Mac.
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